Senate bill could provide more aid, job training for troops

In 2002, Indiana National Guard recruiter Renee Spurlin was forced to leave her job in Indianapolis after the Indiana National Guard called her to serve on the mobilization committee in Edinburgh, Ind. \nA proposed Indiana Senate bill would help many members of the Indiana National Guard and army reserves who have been called to serve since Sept. 11, 2001, and who not only left behind their families, but also their jobs, said Jason Tomcsi, deputy press secretary for Indiana Senator Allie Craycraft.\nCraycraft, D-Selma, authored Senate Bill 228, the Military Relief Trust Fund bill, which would provide assistance with food, housing, utilities, medical services, basic transportation and other expenses to troops' families while they are on active duty.\n"Our military personnel already have enough to worry about," Craycraft said in a press release. "They shouldn't have to worry about whether their families back at home have enough food to eat, if their electricity is turned on or if they are able to pay their mortgages. It is my hope that if this legislation is successful we'll be able to alleviate some of that burden."\nIf the bill is enacted, members of the Indiana National Guard and army reserves who have been on active duty for 30 days or more since Sept. 11, 2001, could be eligible for the aid. The Indiana Veterans Affairs Commission will set the eligibility criteria for the benefits, and those who qualify must apply for the aid, but no official application procedures have been decided yet. \nThe bill proposes that the funds be provided through voluntary taxpayer donations. Indiana taxpayers would have the choice to donate all or a portion of the money received from an Indiana tax return to the Military Relief Trust Fund. No other method of fundraising for the bill has been proposed, Tomcsi said.\n"The whole situation is so complex," Spurlin said. "It's hard to say if a bill can carry that much weight with just donations."\nThe Military Relief Trust Fund, through the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, would also provide training for jobs for one year after the men and women return from service.\n"Military personnel and their families shouldn't be punished for serving our country," Craycraft said in a press release. "We have to remember that the men and women who are being called to active duty are not only leaving behind spouses and their families, they are also leaving behind their jobs as well. For many of their families this loss of income makes providing some of the most basic needs nearly impossible."\nSpurlin has friends in the Indiana National Guard who had good-paying jobs before they were called to duty and consequently lost money when they entered the service. Though the Indiana National Guard provides financial aid for its members, Spurlin said she thinks the bill will help members adjust to the workforce.\nCraycraft, a Korean War veteran, has always supported legislation in favor of helping those in military service, Tomcsi said. He co-authored Senate Bill 304, which would exempt children of National Guard members who are killed on active duty from paying tuition and fees at state educational institutions.\nThe Military Relief Trust Fund bill has been assigned to the Indiana Senate Appropriations Committee, but a hearing date has not yet been set. Tomcsi said he does not expect the hearing to be held this week.